Nearshore Wave Prediction System

The Nearshore Wave Prediction System (NWPS) provides on-demand, high-resolution
nearshore wave model guidance to U.S. coastal WFOs, triggered in real time by
forecast wind grids prepared and submitted by the individual offices. NWPS is
maintained and developed by NCEP's Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) in
collaboration with a number of Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs), as well as partners
at NOAA/NOS, USGS and USACE.

NWPS is driven by forecaster-developed wind grids produced in AWIPS,
and wave boundary conditions from the operational
WAVEWATCH III model. The nearshore wave model used is
SWAN.
Wave-current interaction is included using surface currents from the
Real-Time Ocean Forecast System (RTOFS-Global).
Tides and storm surge are accounted for using the Extratropical Surge and Tide Operational Forecast System
(ESTOFS, extratropical conditions),
or the probabilistic model P-SURGE
(tropical conditions). The computational grids have a nearshore resolution of 1.8 km-500 m.
NWPS produces fields of integral wave parameters, wave spectra, and individually tracked wave
systems (Gerling-Hanson plots). Experimental rip current and total water level
guidance is produced at 5 pilot WFOs.

Coastal Hazards: Total Water Level Viewer

This tool displays experimental total water level and coastal
change model guidance for select regions of the U.S. coastline using
NWPS output and local beach characteristics (Courtesy of
U.S. Geological Survey)

Monthly Validation - Southern and Eastern Regions

Below are the combined monthly validation statistics at all coastal data buoys in
the NWS Southern and Eastern Regions respectively, computed as a 30-day, moving-window
retrospective. For real-time validation, as well as buoy-specific
validation statistics, please see the model validation viewer above.

Southern Region Validation StatisticsClick to enlarge

Eastern Region Validation StatisticsClick to enlarge

Southern Region Statistics HistoryClick to enlarge

Eastern Region Statistics HistoryClick to enlarge

Monthly Validation - Western, Pacific and Alaska Regions

Below are the combined monthly validation statistics at all coastal data buoys in
the NWS Western, Pacific and Alaska Regions, computed as a 30-day, moving-window
retrospective. For real-time validation, please see the model validation viewer above.

Upcoming features: Unstructured meshes

SWAN and WW3's unstructured grid functionality is currently being
incorporated into NWPS. With flexible unstructured grids, computational
time can be optimized by concentrating computational grid points only in
those nearshore regions where it is required to adequately resolve physical
processes at small spatial scales, as shown in the examples below. This
new functionality is scheduled for September 2017.